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56 Ground Beef Recipes

Ground beef recipes are a weeknight favorite for so many reasons: ground beef is inexpensive, cooks up fast, and can be used in endless delicious ways. If you’re looking for a tasty new spin on classic ground beef recipes like meatloaf, hamburgers, chili, and lasagna, the Southern Living Test Kitchen has you covered. Or, if you’re in the mood for something different with ground beef, you’ll also find surprising new ways to use ground beef in stir frys, soups, calzones, kabobs, and more. Ground beef freezes well too, so stock up at the supermarket and bookmark this gallery as your go-to source for easy ground beef recipes.

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Greek Baked Ziti

Inspired by the classic Greek comfort dish known as pastitsio, this pasta casserole uses fresh and flavorful ingredients. It mixes the classic flavors of ground beef, onion, and garlic, with oregano and two rich cheeses: Parmesan and mozzarella. So bake a dish of this comfort-food favorite, and in under 30 minutes you can settle in for a warm, delicious, family meal. For an easy weeknight dinner, you can even make this ahead and freeze it.

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Easy Taco Casserole

Bake this fiesta-worthy casserole in under 30 minutes tonight, and your kids just might wonder where your superpowers come from. The secret is in the pantry-staple ingredient list, but they never have to know that. If you've got picky eaters on your hands, serve this simple taco casserole with the toppings on the side so everyone can pick their own combination.

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Homestyle Ground Beef Casserole

This hearty bake is a dinnertime hero. Whether you prepare it in advance, freeze it, and pop it in the oven right before dinner or you start from scratch while the kids are doing their homework, this supper staple takes only takes about an hour. Pair it with a garden salad, Baked Zucchini Fries, Fried Skillet Potatoes, or Grilled Garlic Bread for an easy meal that's sure to make everyone a member of the clean plate club.

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Sloppy Joe Casserole

Your beloved cafeteria favorite gets an upgrade in this simple ground beef supper. Sure, you may lose the bun and need to grab a fork instead, but it's just as fun to dig into as the summer camp classic. Plus, even if you didn't think it was possible, this casserole is even easier to prepare than your traditional sloppy joe sandwich. As with anything with the word "sloppy" in the title, though, we can't guarantee the kids will leave the table completely clean. But isn't that half the fun?

Mini Meatloaves with Potatoes, Leeks, and Brussels Sprouts

Why make one loaf when you can make four mini meatloaves? Now everyone can help his or herself to a personal-size meatloaf in this sheet-pan take on the classic dinner dish. Roast them in the oven alongside red potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and leeks for a hearty dinner that's ready in just an hour. The best part? since it's all baked together on a single pan, clean up is a breeze.

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West Texas Chili

With this much ground beef and heat, who even needs the beans? All you need to make a batch of this Texas-style chili is ground chuck, tomato pasta, a rich stock, and ale beer. But even though the saying goes, "Don't Mess with Texas," we'll let you mess with this recipe to add beans if you prefer. Use this recipe to make our Frito Pie or serve as is for a filing dinner any night of the week.

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Greek Stuffed Peppers

Hearty and healthy, these simple stuffed peppers give you room to play. Create your own combination by substituting or adding an ingredient here or there. Like zucchini? Add it in. Prefer an even healthier option? Use cauliflower rice instead of traditional rice. Regardless of what personal touches you add in, this quick and bright ground beef recipe will still be ready in under an hour.

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Classic Patty Melt

Blow your everyday burger out of the water with this hearty patty melt that comes together in your cast iron skillet. With toasted sourdough as your base, this recipe gives you a sturdy foundation to layer ground beef patties, caramelized onions, Cheddar, Swiss cheese, mayonnaise, and any other topping you'd like on these thick, dinner-ready sandwiches. It's all melted together over butter in your skillet for a restaurant quality sandwich straight from your own kitchen.

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Quick Beef Chili

Hearty chili like this has chunks of meat cooked to perfection in a Dutch oven before being combined with its other ingredients. For our Quick Beef Chili we suggest using petite tender. This quick-cooking foundation for this dish is supermarket steak that is cut from the shoulder. It looks and tastes like tenderloin but costs a third of the price. If you can't find it, try chuck-eye steak, which also has great flavor but may need more trimming. Whatever your choice, this quick, spicy, delicious chili will have you filling your bowl for seconds. Smother it in great toppings: think green onions, sour cream, or many others.

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Cheeseburger Egg Rolls with Special Sauce

Mix things up tonight with this reimagined take on a takeout favorite that proves creativity in the kitchen doesn't have to take all day. This fancy feeling dish doesn't take more than an hour to pull together, and it's substantial enough to feed a hungry crowd as large as eight people. Don’t skip the special sauce—you’ll soon be keeping jars of it in the fridge.

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Extra-Easy Lasagna

This recipe may be speedy, but it does anything but skimp on flavor. This is one of those recipes that's great to have on hand when you can already hear stomachs rumbling as you walk in the door. Whether you've made it ahead and kept it in the freezer or you're starting from scratch right before dinner time, it'll be ready in under an hour regardless. Avoid a dinnertime disaster with this ground beef superhero.

Beef-and-Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi

If your go-to soup recipes are feeling worn out after a few weeks of winter, this 30-minute recipe is sure to revive you. The combination of ground beef and store-bought gnocchi make this vegetable soup innately filing. While the recipe calls for onion, tomatoes, and spinach, you can make the soup your own by adding in any extra vegetables you'd like.

Beef Stew with Cheddar Biscuits

What's better than a bowl of beef stew? A bowl of beef stew with homemade cheddar biscuits on top, of course. We can't think of a better way to use up leftover biscuits from Sunday brunch (or an excuse to make even more) than this warm bowl of beef and vegetables. Pro tip: be sure to pay attention to the sharpness of your cheddar for the cheese biscuits. Mild cheddar melts the best, since it contains the most moisture.

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Emily Nabors Hall's Cheeseburger Pizza

Childhood classics combine forces for a main dish the kids will rave about for days. Simple store-bought ingredients, like jarred pasta sauce and deli pizza dough, are the base to this homemade pizza that's ready just over an hour. While we highly recommend topping with ground beef for the full cheeseburger effect, you can personalize further with whatever pizza toppings are your family's favorite.

Cheesy Beef-and-Spinach Ravioli

A cheesy, one-pan creation that comes together in just 30 minutes? Sign us up any night of the week. This simple recipe transforms any package of ravioli into a decadent pasta bake, complete with fresh spinach and beef. Plus, with just one skillet required, your cast-iron clean up is as easy as eat, rinse, wipe, and oil.

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Cheeseburger Pie

Your everyday cheeseburger takes new form in this lovely latticed version that's as creative as it is delicious. Stuffed with a ground beef filling and American cheese (or whatever cheese your prefer), this weeknight dinner or party recipe takes your burger off the grill and into your oven. Make it gluten-free by bypassing the crust and serving this beefy filling over mashed potatoes instead. Add green salad and fries on the side (and maybe finish it off with a milkshake) and you've easily got a dinner that will serve 6.

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Meatloaf Casserole

Bypass the typical loaf. This Meatloaf Casserole takes your mom's go-to recipe up a notch. It's flavored with Worcestershire and tomato, so you'll still get your classic meatloaf flavors. The true game changer here? The mashed potato topping. This creamy addition builds your side dish right into the bake.

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Savory Meat Base

Having a great ground beef go-to as a base means that you can have a lot of recipes ready to go. This means your quick-fix dinners are always just minutes away from being on the table, and delicious dinners are fresh out of the oven. This seven-ingredient beefy mixture completes the first step of many recipes, including Spaghetti With Meat Sauce, Sloppy Joes, and Easy Beef and Macaroni. The other great thing about the Savory Meat Base is that it freezes well, so you can make several batches and always have some on-hand and in the pan in an instant. Simple to make, it mixes ground beef, marinara sauce, garlic, and more, and tastes fantastic any way you serve it.

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Richard’s Sloppy Joes

Few things are as delicious—or as decadent—as perfectly flavored, saucy ground beef slathered on a bun: otherwise known as a sloppy joe. This is our recipe for Richard’s Sloppy Joes, and he certainly makes them good enough to make us want to share them with you. Lean ground beef, diced tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce get blended together with ketchup, barbecue sauce, and jalapeños—plus jalapeño juice. The result is a mouthwatering blend of spicy ground beef that is precisely how it is described: delectable? Sloppy. Make Richard’s recipe and enjoy these tasty treats packed with punch. Our adult taste-testers described this dish as mildly hot. If your family prefers less kick, adjust the amount of pickled jalapeños (and liquid from the jar) to suit their tastes.

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Mexican Lasagna

Making Mexican lasagna means you are getting the best of both flavor worlds on your table at one time, and this delicious ground beef recipe shows you how to put it all together. To let your lasagna go Mexican you’ll be layering ground beef and sausage with corn tortillas, tomatoes, green chiles, enchilada sauce, and cheese. It tastes even more delicious than it sounds! And since this is a one of our favorite quick-fix suppers, this ground beef sensation is a convenient weeknight dinner that the kids will love as much as the grownups. So take your pasta south of the border and start layering your Mexican lasagna now.

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Mini-Cheeseburgers

You may call these sliders, but whatever you call them these bite-size ground beef delights will have you piling your plate high. These use lean ground beef, which works well since you’ll be baking these little burgers in your oven. In less than 20 minutes you’ll have 20 patties, making this the perfect quick, go-to party food. Ours are served on party rolls, making them the perfect mouthful. Whether you're planning for pint-size palates or simply desire to serve appetizer-sized portions of the American classic, these mini burgers are a guaranteed crowd pleaser. So start planning now, and get ready for the weekend: these freeze well too, so you can always have some on hand.

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Beef-and-Black-eyed Pea Chili

Pull some cornbread fresh out of the skillet and savor the aroma of our Beef-and-Black-Eyed Pea Chili. You can fill a Dutch oven with chili meat, sweet onion, black-eyed peas, beer, and more, and in under an hour sit down to a delicious bowl of chili. Serve it with jalapeño pepper slices, Cheddar cheese, or pico de gallo, or just enjoy it as it comes. However you prefer it, you won't go wrong. Pick up your spoon and enjoy this chili now.

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Spiced Beef Kabobs with Herbed Cucumber and Tomato Salad

This recipe is all about how to take premium ground beef, flavor it with subtle herbs and spices, and create a delicious dish. These Spiced Beef Kabobs are delicately seasoned with cumin, coriander, allspice, parsley, and cilantro, then hand-formed on skewers. Grilled to golden-brown perfection, the ground beef remains moist and juicy, to be complemented by creamy toppings like our Yogurt-Tahini Sauce. Serve this zesty beef with warm pita bread and a tangy herb salad.

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Taco Pie

Taco Tuesday will never look the same with this sliceable Mexican dish that's ready in under an hour. The base of this pie-pan dinner is made of partially fried tortillas. After garlic, onions, and ground beef are browned, seasoned, and added in, you can rely on pantry staples to finish the job. Top it with queso fresco, cilantro, and sour cream and serve with a side of rice or oven-roasted corn, and you've created a weekday dinner that will make any Tex-Mex lover smile.

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Shepherd’s Pie with Potato Crust

You might call yourself a shepherd too if it meant you would get a dinner this good. Our version of a Shepherd’s Pie is certainly a Southern dinner classic. Instead of mashed potatoes we use scalloped potatoes for the crust, cut with a mandolin slicer—but a knife will work just as well. For the filling, lean ground chuck is perfect, while red wine will add flavors that are rich and bold. Our Shepherd’s Pie has a dash of Worcestershire Sauce, as well as a hearty measure of English peas. This dish will keep you warm on a cool night, but it is fresh and delicious at any time. Round up your appetite and enjoy our Shepherd’s Pie.

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Lean Green Lettuce Tacos

Go green with Lean Green Lettuce Tacos. You’ll be ditching the shell for a leaf of cool, crisp, fresh lettuce instead. Fill it with a fantastic mix of flavors, starting with our spicily seasoned lean ground beef. You’ll love the flavors of right-from-the farm zucchini, squash, and cilantro, making this a great farm-to-table meal. Dress up your tacos with salsa and with queso fresco. Queso fresco is Spanish for "fresh cheese" It has a soft and crumbly texture (similar to feta) with a mild flavor. You can find it in the dairy section of larger supermarkets. So leave the shell behind and enjoy these delicious lean green tacos.

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Red Bean Chili

Chili is always a great, simple, go-to meal, and this Red Bean Chili may only have a few ingredients but it is packed full of flavor. It starts with ground beef—we suggest you use lean ground beef in this recipe—seasoned with the flavors of tomatoes and chili powder. Kidney beans round out this beefy chili. Just brown ground beef with onion, stir in five additional ingredients, and let it simmer. To really let the flavors come together we suggest you prepare it in a slow cooker during the day. It will be ready in the evening for super-fast mealtime prep.

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Slow-Cooker Bolognese Sauce over Pappardelle Pasta

Traditionally, Bolognese sauce requires hours of babysitting as it simmers on the stove, but our recipe is virtually hands-off. The lean ground beef is flavored with red wine, and onions, garlic, and Italian seasonings really add fullness and depth. A little cream goes a long way to make the sauce rich, and it comes into its own in the slow cooker. Once everything is together, the best approach is to simply leave it alone, to check it occasionally, to make sure its consistency is just right,—and to be ready to spoon it onto your pappardelle and cover it in Parmesan cheese. Serve it hot, and enjoy!

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Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes

Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes take the traditional sloppy joe and kick them up a notch. At its most basic, the recipe for these adds barbecue sauce to the ground beef, and tells you to grab your grater and get ready for later. But for a true Texas kick, we suggest you add in all the options, and for this recipe that means stepping out of the box and into the heat with chopped picked jalapeños and some pickled jalapeño juice. If that seems a bit too spicy, simply brown your ground beef, slop a heaping helping on some Texas toast, and pile on some Cheddar cheese. That’ll give you a Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joe you will love. Grab some napkins and dig in.

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Sloppy Joe Carolina-Style Burgers

These fantastic burgers—made with ground sirloin—get that little something extra, Carolina-style, from a delicious scoop of chili on top. We don’t call them sloppy for nothing, so you’ll want to eat these over-the-top burgers with a knife and fork, or set out a pile of napkins. Add fresh crisp texture and flavor by mounding slaw atop the burgers. Serve extra slaw on the side to sop up that chili, or save it for another day.